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Inside Politics

Wife Of TX AG Ken Paxton Files For Divorce On "Biblical Grounds"; Democrats See Opportunity In Texas If Paxton Wins Primary; Mud, Mess, And A Powerful Lesson In Small-Town Resilience; MAGA Figures Erupt After Director Calls Superman An "Immigrant". Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 11, 2025 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: But let's just kind of table set with -- for our viewers, Nia, on the fact that this is a couple who has stuck together through other political storms that Ken Paxton was involved with, including an attempt to impeach him. She was very much by his side. Things are different now. Let's start there.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, listen, I mean, even if you look back at the impeachment, there were allegations during that impeachment about extramarital affairs, one in particular. And so, she clearly either decided to stick by her husband after that, or maybe they weren't true, it's unclear.

But this isn't new news about Ken Paxton. It is new news in the context of this race that's going to pit him against John Cornyn. Polls so far have shown that Ken Paxton, who is sort of the Trump of Texas, that he's in the lead, you know, double digits, according to some polls. And so, what does this news do?

On the one hand, you know, he's trying to make himself even more a Trumpy-like figure, right, saying, you know, the slings and arrows are coming at me. The devil is busy in the way that the devil was busy against Donald Trump, the devil being the deep state, of course.

And so that is kind of how he's trying to frame himself. I think it could work with a lot of MAGA. It could work with a lot of evangelicals, even, who will say, you know, he without sin cast the first stone. But we'll see. I mean, I think the wild card here is what does Donald Trump decide to do.

Does he decide to back John Cornyn? I imagine if you're Thune, you have had very direct conversations with the president about this, because they -- if you're John Thune, you want John Cornyn to stay in that seat.

BASH: Yes. And that's really what this is about, Maeve, I'm going to come to you on that. I mean, obviously, there is drama. There is, you know, a lot of layers. It's something that everybody in the political world is talking about. But it's not just that. It's because of how consequential this primary is on so many different levels.

And as Nia said, it's Paxton who is challenging a sitting Republican senator, which in and of itself is a very big deal and somebody who is an institution in Texas elected life. And right now, the latest poll before all of this, Ken Paxton was beating John Cornyn by a pretty significant amount.

And then you look at Cornyn and Nia suggesting that, you know, would Donald Trump support John Cornyn. There's no historical love loss between these two, as much as Cornyn is trying to get in Donald Trump's favor right now back in -- this is May of 2023, I think -- this is Cornyn -- "I think President Trump's time has passed him by. I don't think President Trump understands that when you run in a general election, you have to appeal to voters beyond your base."

MAEVE RESTON, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: So, I mean, I think that it's going to be fascinating to see what President Trump does here because, of course, Cornyn is firmly backed by Republican leaders in the Senate.

BASH: He was one.

RESTON: Yes, he was one. And, you know, I believe that he will be doing some travel with President Trump in Texas today. And, you know, there's -- there have been instances in which JD Vance is a good example of this, where someone has criticized President Trump in the past, and he gets over it and moves on.

But clearly, those loyalty issues are why the MAGA base in Texas has such a big issue with John Cornyn. And I think the timing of all of this, obviously, is very interesting. As you were pointing out this morning, I mean, to have this sort of explosion of personal allegations at a critical time in this primary race could give, you know, a lot of people second thoughts.

And you are seeing sort of the GOP cavalry in Washington get behind Cornyn. And Cornyn has been drawing attention to some of this news that really could damage Paxton. But there's a lot of worry that if Paxton were to become the nominee, that this really could make it like a much more volatile race and give Democrats some inroads. So --

BASH: Yes. And that's really the key here.

RESTON: Yes.

BASH: Well, one of the keys here, which is, Phil Mattingly, what Democrats want, which is right now they want Paxton because they have -- the Texas Senate race or the governor's race has kind of been like a white whale for them since, you know, I don't know --

RESTON: Forever.

BASH: -- it's forever --

HENDERSON: Yes, forever. Yes.

BASH: -- since the 90s, since the 90s. And this is, you know, they're hoping that if Paxton is damaged, he stays in the race, he becomes the nominee, Phil, that that would be beneficial to the Democrats.

[12:35:08]

They're going to potentially have their own primary. I mean, we know Colin Allred is running, Beto O'Rourke has suggested that maybe he would jump in. Then you have the question of Julian Castro, forgive me, State Rep. James Talarico. So those are all questions that are to be asked.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And look, I think you make an important --

BASH: Yes.

MATTINGLY: -- kind of caveat up front here, which is this is I think my like sixth or seventh cycle where Texas is going to turn blue. And it never gets really anywhere close. I think the closest was probably Beto O'Rourke against Ted Cruz and that ended up not being significantly close in the grand scheme of how we generally watch these types of campaigns.

There is no question when you talk to both Republicans and Democrats, if Democrats are going to have any opportunity whatsoever in terms of this race, they believe that Paxton is the only kind of vehicle for that opportunity, that Cornyn is not. You know, what I'm struck by about this, Dana, I'm sure you've -- all of us have heard from our Republican friends over the course of the last couple of days, where the response has been like, what possibly could have happened to make it worse than what it had been prior to now?

And I don't -- I'm not making light of marital issues, but which is a real interesting question, because I'm sure the Cornyn team, the NRC and all those aligned individuals are trying to figure out what it was and will likely try and raise that in the weeks ahead. This is a campaign on the primary side that Cornyn has explicitly framed as being about character.

And so does this help him? It's up to Trump.

BASH: First of all, I just want to correct one thing. It's Julian Castro's identical twin brother, Joaquin, who is considering running for Senate. But before we go real quick, Nia, I've been thinking during this whole conversation about one fundamental question, which is, does this kind of dirty laundry in the public, even for evangelical voters, even in a Republican primary, does it matter anymore?

HENDERSON: No. I absolutely don't think it matters. And I think if you're an evangelical voter, there are lots of retorts to this. You know, everyone is a sinner in the hands of God. And I think in many ways, this could bolster Paxton among those hardcore MAGA folks and some evangelicals as well.

BASH: So interesting.

OK, don't go anywhere. Soon, President Trump will be arriving in Texas to survey flooding damage there just months after a similar North Carolina visit. Up next, we hear from residents who are still recovering and say there is a difference in federal health before and after President Trump.

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[12:42:23]

BASH: Before Kerrville, there was Asheville. It has been nearly 10 months since Hurricane Helene inundated Western North Carolina. Catastrophic flooding and landslides claimed more than 100 lives and left $60 billion in damage. The promise of federal help became the crux of a presidential election issue weeks later.

So has that help arrived? CNN's John King visited those still trying to rebuild in North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KOREY HAMPTON, NORTH CAROLINA VOTER: You hear that sound? That's the sound of excitement.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Korey Hampton's office, her source of income and of joy. But seeing the French Broad River is much more complicated now. The floodwaters nine months ago changed everything.

HAMPTON: We pulled people out of second-story windows in a river that just the day before had been calmer even than it is today.

KING (voice-over): Hampton and her husband Mitch run French Broad Adventures, but they also volunteer for the local raft rescue team. Days of exhausting rescues after the flooding. Then, weeks of worse.

HAMPTON: Doing recovery work, and what that means is --

KING: Looking for bodies.

HAMPTON: Yes. It painted the river in a new light for me. I still see piles, and I wonder if there's somebody in it.

KING: So --

HAMPTON: I still smell smells and think I should go look at that pile. It's hard to kind of switch back to the, like, oh, everything's fun, no big deal.

KING (voice-over): Tiny Hot Springs flooded when debris turned this bridge into a dam. Most of downtown is still a mess.

Hot Springs Mayor Abby Norton puts the build back at 40 percent.

ABBY NORTON, HOT SPRINGS MAYOR: What I thought Washington would do would be to immediately come in and either fix everything or supply the funds for us to fix everything, but that's not how it works.

KING (voice-over): Mayor Norton says she voted third party for president, just weeks after the flood.

KING: Is there a Biden difference or a Trump difference in what you have experienced?

NORTON: First of all, I'm not a politician. I never have been. But it has been better under the Trump administration than it was under Biden. My opinion.

KING: Is that because they're more receptive and responsive?

NORTON: Yes.

KING: Or is it because, you know, Biden was president when it was hell or?

NORTON: Things are getting done faster. They're more -- they are more responsive. We're getting a lot more help.

KING (voice-over): But the mayor is quick to say things still take too long, like waiting for federal help to rebuild the town offices. Now troubled when she hears the president talk of big FEMA changes.

[12:45:08]

NORTON: FEMA doesn't need to be eliminated. It just -- the processes need to be easier, more user-friendly. No, I don't think it needs to be eliminated at all.

KING: Or shifted to the states or?

NORTON: No.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BASH: So interesting. Thank you, John King, for that report.

Coming up, a headline you may see in the Daily Planet. Superman or super-woke? That is a question gripping right-wing media right now. We'll explain after the break.

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(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, buddy. Eyes up here.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[12:50:06]

BASH: Will MAGA be Superman's kryptonite? Maybe not. The film, which is produced by CNN sister company Warner Brothers, has a 95 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and did blockbuster numbers in previous screenings. But right-wing figures are trying to say that the film is, quote, "too woke." In particular, they're upset by this comment from the director, James Gunn, quote, "Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me, it's mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost." That's not all they're criticizing.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the part that makes me go. Look, don't try and make it all woke and crazy. Keep that character as, you know, the way I like him is truth, justice in the American way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He found himself unable to say Superman's slogan, quote, "truth -- fighting for truth, justice in the American way." He said, "truth, justice and all those good things."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they just refuse to acknowledge the American way is good, that the American way is, in fact, unique. And this lies at the root of a leftist worldview. That leftist worldview is astonishingly anti-American.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: And panel is back. Phil Mattingly, OK, so you just went from Clark Kent to Superman. That was definitely -- without the --

MATTINGLY: Yes.

BASH: -- phone booth, no less.

HENDERSON: Oh my God.

MATTINGLY: Yes. Ben Gelden (ph), your executive producer is going to very happy now.

BASH: We caught you, Clark.

Look, we've seen the culture wars on big blockbuster movies. And, you know, in the case of Snow White, it actually hurts Snow White. What's your sense of this one?

MATTINGLY: Dana, to be completely honest, I've learned a lot about immigration as it pertains to Superman coming from -- and being an alien and an orphaned alien, which has been probably the only element of this debate online that I've paid a ton of attention to because there's a lot of actual news. What I do think is probably more important is, like, I thought we were all kind of relaxing and just enjoying things these days.

I'm not sure where that went out the window, but I appreciate the energy and passion from many people. And I could just say, like, the ratings seem good so far, which is good for our parent company, not to put in a plug there. And I would also note, if you're not into this, "Lilo and Stitch," excellent, excellent movie. Best movie I've seen in, like, three years.

BASH: Says the father of four under the age of, what, 10?

MATTINGLY: Yes.

BASH: Nia?

HENDERSON: Yes, you know, I just want to see the movie. I mean, this could, you know, they're starting off a new Superman character. Marvel Universe has crushed it over these last years. And so D.C. is trying to make a comeback. The reviews are good. I'm excited.

You know, my first Superman was with Christopher Reeve and Marlon Brando. And so I'm just excited. I sort of just wish that it wasn't part of this culture war. Not everything has to be a part of the culture war. I get Snow White was. That was a terrible movie. It was a dumb idea to make Snow White again.

This is something big. And I hope it's great. It looks great from these clips here. And the reviews have also been really good. So I'm excited.

But, yes, I mean, this does get at, you know, the rights attempt to, you know, they want to be the culture, right, in a way. And they have felt ostracized. And so here they are sort of inserting themselves in.

We'll see if it matters at the ratings. I think average viewers, you know, and voters and comic book fans, they just want to see a great comic book movie. And Superman, of course, is such a great superhero. So I want to see it. I'm going to see it.

BASH: Not surprisingly, I'm sure maybe Nia and Maeve you agree with this, connect most to Lois Lane.

RESTON: Of course.

BASH: And so I'm excited to see Mrs. Maisel be Lois Lane.

RESTON: Yes. Exactly. I do think that we are seeing -- this one feels like a bit of a stretch on the immigrant issue. But we are seeing, you know, once again, a lot of celebrities, particularly out here in Los Angeles, start to bring immigration back into the conversation.

I saw like Pashma (ph) the other night was doing a, you know, a cooking thing. And while she was cooking a taco, spent the whole time talking about the immigration raids here in Los Angeles. And so you do see celebrities who are very upset about the ICE raids that are happening across California, trying to bring that more into a pop culture conversation.

And I think we certainly will see a backlash to that once again from MAGA and the right. But, you know, someone from another planet. I don't know if people are going to make that kind of connection to immigration on this one.

[12:55:09]

BASH: I don't know. Just I don't know.

RESTON: Everything's controversial, you know.

BASH: I'm going to leave it there. Yes. It's just -- RESTON: We can't escape it.

BASH: Go a see a movies, buy popcorn and have a good time.

Guys, thank you so much.

Before we go, 40 years ago this summer, rock stars Rick Springfield, Madonna, the best, Led Zeppelin, Bob Geldof and many, many more performed at the landmark music event to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The new CNN original series "Live Aid When Rock N' Roll Took on the World" shares how the legendary concert came together and launched a movement. Do not miss the premiere on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. only on CNN.

Also join me on State of the Union this Sunday. Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales is going to be among my guests, along with California Senator Alex Padilla. I hope to see you on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

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